Best phones of 2018 in India: The top smartphones we've tested

Your guide to the year's best smartphones

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If you prefer Google's OS, then our best Android phone roundup should be right up your alley.

The best phone doesn't always mean it has to be a flagship phone. The finest of phones can also be those that offer the most significant value-for-money. Different features have varying significance from person to person, so how do you decide which phone to buy at the end of day?

As the options in the market increase and choosing the best phone gets more and more complicated. Aspects deviate with respect to power, specifications, features, design and obviously, the price.

The options on this list range from Android to the iOS, so that you can find a phone that best suits your requirements. Some prefer a smaller, more compact phone while others need a bigger screen so that they can immerse themselves in the user experience.

This list only gives you the cream of the crop, phones that deserve to be bought. Choose wisely!

Apple celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2017. On this occasion, it launched iPhone X with beautiful OLED display and curved edges. Basically, Apple followed the most trending feature of 2017, that is, the bezel-less display.

It is, in fact, the first iPhone with an OLED display and no home button. The all-glass body with surgical stainless steel edges makes it look premium and feels even better once in your hands.

Under the hood, lies the latest A11 Bionic processor along with a 3GB RAM. The memory may seem a little small but it's the most that Apple's ever put into a phone.

It runs on the latest iOS 11, which essentially why the home button has been replaced by gestures. So, the bottom of the screen will take to the control center instead.

Apple also replaced the Touch ID with the Face ID unlock which is flawless. It also introduced Animoji which allow users to create and record the message with different facial expressions.

Despite having big display and bunch of features, the battery lasts for 2 hours longer than it does for the iPhone 7.

The Pixel 2 XL is the successor of Google Pixel XL which the company launched in 2016. The phone is taller, wider and thinner than its predecessor giving more space to the screen. It is not a bezel-less phone, the material that separates your screen from the phone's body, but has slimmer bezels as compared to the previous version.

The 6-inch LG-made pOLED display is perfect for those who love virtual reality. The most impressive feature of the phone is its camera performance. While most of the phones these days come with a dual camera set up, the Pixel 2 XL delivers magical results with its single 12.2-megapixel lens at the back. Like Apple's 'live mode' photos, Google has introduced Motion which records few seconds before the image is clicked.

The phone lacks the 3.5mm headphone jack and the microSD card slot which means you cannot expand the storage of the phone. This is something you should keep in mind when you are weighing your options.

If you're worried about whether the new Galaxy Note 8 will be any good, don't be - it's an excellent handset that rivals the best on the list, despite being 'productivity-focused'.

The large Infinity Display on the front slots in far more screen than you'd expect from a phone this compact, the S Pen is something not a lot of other phones can offer and the all-round speed is almost breathtaking at times.

The new dual camera is really what separates it from the Galaxy S8 duo (if you're not bothered by the stylus features) and while it's expensive, it's certainly worth looking at if you want a brilliant smartphone.

In all honesty, the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus isn't all that different from the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus. The only new feature that stands out is the dual aperture camera. Even that doesn't impress since it falls short of what the Pixel 2 is capable of doing. Albeit, that doesn't take from the fact that the S9 Plus is a powerful phone.

The S9 Plus is a little more rectangular than its predecessor, but it's pretty compact considering the big screen. The phone is also a little heavier than the S8 Plus and Note 8. Aside from the that, the design is more or less the same as the Galaxy S8 Plus.

The 6.2-inch Super AMOLED display can take on most of the other flagship models in the market today, aside from, perhaps, the iPhone X.

The phones runs on the Exynos 9801, which as capable as any other flagship chipset.

The battery life is very good being able to power the next generation of mobile VR games, and it has software that rivals stock Android.

After launching Honor 7X, Honor subsequently came out with the View 10 that has a similar 18:9 display. This phone offers high-end features at an unbeatable price in comparison to other phones that are at-par with respect to performance.

The Honor View 10 is extremely thin and tries to waste as little space as possible. The display has a slim border which is the only way to provide a 6-inch screen without pockets that are too wide.

The aluminium rear is the probably the one design feature that a user should be wary of due to the fact that it can easily get scratched. But that can be easily rectified by purchasing a nice case for the phone.

The fingerprint sensor works seamlessly with Face Unlock promised as an upgrade feature to come out in the next software update. Despite having 128GB memory, the Honor View 10 offers a microSD card slot giving you the option expand even further. It even has more megapixels combined into it than any other phone available in the market right now.

It runs on Android Oreo with the Huawei's 8.0 Emotion UI (EMUI). The EMUI might be loved by some and disliked by others, but provided you get a hang of the customisation options, there's nothing particular to complain about.

In case you're clumsy like some of us, the phone has absolutely no water resistance which means you'll have to use it with a certain degree of caution.

The OnePlus 5T is an upgraded version of the flagship device OnePlus 5 which the company launched in June 2017.

The highlight of the phone is its bigger display. The 6.01-inch full HD AMOLED panel gives you sharper colors and higher refresh rates in comparison to having the traditional passive matrix.

A 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 coating protects the screen from damage. However, it lacks the QHD resolution. The 3,300mAh battery supports Dash Charge. The battery may seem small but it's not a major concern, as the phone manages to perform pretty well.

It runs Android Nougat 7.1.2 out of the box, which isn't amazing as Android Oreo is already in the market. Thankfully you they rolled out an update over-the-air (OTA).

It's a little disappointing that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro doesn't run Oreo out-of-the-box but it still offers the most value for money.

The Redmi Note 5 and Note 5 Pro are pretty similar in terms of design. They both have metallic bodies and fingerprint sensors on the back. The colors on the display are warm and sharp. The touch feature responds well and visibility isn't too horrible in full sunlight.

Being the most dependable budget option in the market right now, the Redmi Note 5 Pro gives you a good camera, a decent processor with reliable power and incredible battery life.

The result of Xiaomi's partnership with Google, Mi A1 is supported by the search giant's Android One program. It's aimed at users who want a premium smartphone experience at a low price.

The Mi A1 reboots Google's Android One program, which was at first created for budget original equipment managers (OEMs), so that they could give a great experience to users with the help of stock Android. With its reboot, Google has tweaked that just a bit. It will not focus specifically on smartphone manufacturers who can give a good overall experience to consumers, both with hardware and software.

The core hardware of the phone is similar to the Redmi Note 4, but the Mi A1 performs better with respect to day-to-day usage. It's easier to switch between apps and the apps load faster making multi-tasking simple for the most basic of tasks.

For heavier tasks, such as gaming, the phone can handle high resolution games comfortably. There aren't any frame rate drops or temperature escalation.

All in all, the Mi A1 raises the bar for what a mid-range phone can do.

Rather than focus on the display or high resolution cameras, the Moto G5 Plus aims to offer the most amount of features without emptying your pocket. It's the successor of the G4 Plus from Lenovo backed Motorola running on Android 7.0 Nougat with the Android Oreo update on the way real soon!

The smart display technology is impressive, lighting the screen up with just a wave of your hand to show you your notifications or to pause the music you're playing. With 16/32 GB internal storage, the phone offers a microSD slot that can support up to 128 GB of extra storage.

There's enough power in this phone to multi-task without any problems and to run the latest games thanks to the Snapdragon 625 octa-core SoC. It's supported by Adreno 506 graphics processing unit (GPU) that operates at a higher clock speed than it's previous counterpart, the G4 Plus.

The 3,000mAh battery is on point for a phone of this size and exhibits remarkable fast charging technology for a budget phone.

The rear camera captures larger pixels but the phone is slow to focus and the colors come out a little muddled. This feature is the only place where the user with feel as though they own a budget phone as compared to something premium.

It's perfect for users who wish to save money without having to compromise on performance.

After launching Redmi Y1 and Y1 Lite in India, Xiaomi unveiled Redmi 5A in the market. As compared to the Redmi 4A, the phone is only marginally different making us wonder if the upgrade is even required.

Pitched as the "Desh Ka Smartphone" by the company, the Redmi 5A features a 5-inch HD display and runs on Android 7.0 Nougat with MIUI 9 on the top allowing the phone to run flawlessly.

The Snapdragon 425 chipset is a possibly a let down for gamers because graphic heavy games slow the phone down and the frame drops are evident.

Its curved and smooth back sits snugly in your hands and aids one-handed operation with ease. Though the design isn't anything extraordinary in comparison to its predecessor, it's still impressive for a phone in this price range.